This invention relates to a remote copy system in which a plurality of storage systems hold copies of data used by a computer, and more particularly to a technique of rolling back a plurality of storage systems in synchronization with each other.
Computer systems available in recent years use an increased amount of data, and have the data updated more frequently. It is a major challenge in the storage field how such data is backed up and how rapidly a system can be recovered to a normal operation state upon the occurrence of a fault. As a measure to this end, there is disclosed a remote copy technique in which a plurality of storage subsystems (external storage systems) equipped with magnetic disk arrays are placed in remote locations and connected to each other via a communication path, and data updated in one storage subsystem is automatically copied to another storage subsystem without the intermediation of a host computer (refer to JP 2004-13367 A).
In addition, there is proposed a system using a write time as a technique of ensuring consistency of data between a primary storage and a secondary storage. More specifically, a primary storage system receiving write data from a primary host notifies the primary host that the primary storage system has received write data immediately after receiving the write data. After that, the primary host reads a copy of the write data from the primary storage system. Each piece of write data is appended with a write time that is the time when a corresponding write request is issued. When the primary host reads the write data, the write time is sent to the primary host together. Further, the primary host transfers the write data and the write time to a secondary host.
The secondary host that has received the write data and the write time writes information including the write time into a control volume of a secondary storage system. The secondary host further writes the write data into the secondary storage system in the order of the write time by referencing the write time appended to each piece of write data. By writing the write data into the secondary storage system in the order of the write time, consistent data can be held in the secondary storage system at all times (refer to EP 0671686).